


The sorcerer's wife

by YouKeepMeRight



Series: Merthur a kiss a day challenge [13]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Arthur Pendragon Returns (Merlin), Doctor Who References, First Kiss, First Time, Immortal Leon (Merlin), Immortal Merlin (Merlin), M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:00:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26510287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YouKeepMeRight/pseuds/YouKeepMeRight
Summary: “My magic!”“My sorcerer! Oh! We have now reached the point in the conversation where you open the lock”Loosely based on the idea of Doctor Who episode "The doctor's wife"Rated E for chapter three
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Merthur a kiss a day challenge [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1831621
Comments: 8
Kudos: 82





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If you are a DW fan, you may recognize some dialogues :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 13: butterfly kisses against the other’s cheeks

Merlin had been stressed out recently. He had tried all his life not to use his magic selfishly. When Gaius had died, many centuries before, Merlin had sworn an oath: he would never take advantage of his powers for his own purposes. Especially not now, when the destiny of many human beings leaned on his abilities as a physician, more than on his sorcerer's power.

He had become a doctor of medicine, obtaining a degree from the University of Cambridge in 1721 and had magically kept changing the date of his degree on his personal papers since. Merlin was currently working at St. Thomas hospital in London and had saved so many lives in the last years he had lost count.

Unfortunately, however, some of them just couldn't be saved.

Merlin’s most recent patient seemed to be one of those cases. A young woman in her thirties was terminally ill, a case of metastatic cancer slowly killed her. Merlin tried his best to medically soothe her pain in the last few months and had grown quite fond of her despite the professional detachment he should have maintained. 

The patient reminded Merlin intimately of someone from his past. Maybe it was the short, blond hair, and the eyes as blue as the sky on a hot summer day. She was a little bit arrogant but so brave and compassionate despite her condition and inevitable fate. She reminded Merlin of his king.

Fact is Merlin couldn't bear to lose her too. He brought it to the former Sir Leon, now Dean of Medicine at the hospital Merlin was currently working at.

“Are you mental?” Leon protested, his arms crossed, his forehead wrinkled. “Merlin, you know you can't...”

They had spent eternity together, their friendship probably the only thing that helped both of them not to go mad. Immortality isn't something dealt with easily but having someone who understands can make all the difference. Their friendship had grown stronger over the years as they helped each other deal with grief, sorrow, pain, and loss.

“After all these years, Leon, just this once,” Merlin plead, pacing up and down his office, his voice quivering. His patient’s time among the living was almost over.  
“Have you seen her? She looks so much like...it would be like losing him all over again! I can't bear it, don't you see?” Merlin exclaimed, his hands moving restlessly while he spoke.

“I can't give you my permission. You know that. But I can arrange for no one to interrupt you for a couple of hours this evening. See what you can do with that,” Leon said before getting up from his chair. The former knight knew there was no point in trying to convince his friend to do nothing. He had always been a stubborn sorcerer.

“Thanks, old friend,” Merlin whispered, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Good luck,” Leon simply answered, hoping for a happy ending for this chapter of their story.

~~

Merlin's plan was to try some healing spells first. If none of those would have worked, he was ready to conjure the power of Life and Death. Merlin knew that the kind of magic wasn't simple. It obeyed ancient and secret rules that even after centuries he hadn't fully understood. He was sure of one thing though: another life must be sacrificed to save her. Somebody else would be affected by his actions, but Merlin would deal with that later. 

“What are you doing here?” the young woman asked weakly from her bed while Merlin closed the curtains of her room.

“I want to try something new to help you with the pain,” Merlin said honestly, trying to fake his best smile.

“Well, I thought that death was my best way to deal with this pain,” the girl said with a slight tremor, doing her best to put on a brave face. She watched Merlin curiously while he removed his white coat and rolled up his sleeves.

“Always that black humor, even now. You are truly a clotpole!” Merlin said fondly, preparing a syringe with a sedative.

“You keep calling me that! I haven't figured out whether it's an affectionate word or you are just mocking me,” the young woman said closing her eyes.

“It's a little bit of both,” Merlin answered, placing a hand on her forehead, watching her slowly losing consciousness.

When Merlin was sure his patient was sound asleep, he began to let magic flow through his veins. It made him feel pleasantly aware of his powers, a familiar tingle behind his head, goosebumps pricking the skin of his back.

For a while, Merlin tried every healing spell he knew, but each attempt was in vain. His frustration and magic began tying together like a chemical reaction, ready to explode.

In the last attempt, Merlin uttered the spell that he had once used to save Morgana.

_“Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare mid þam sundorcræftas þære ealdaþ æ!”_

A bright light illuminated the room, blinding him for a second. As his vision cleared after a couple of blinks, Merlin managed to see the young woman levitate from her bed and land on her feet right in front of the sorcerer.

“Has it worked?” Merlin whispered, unwilling to believe he managed to save her without using the power of Life and Death.

“Look at you!” the woman suddenly said with the biggest smile Merlin had ever seen. “Goodbye! No. Not goodbye. What’s the other one?” she said frantically, her brow furrowing in the thought, before lurching forward to hug him tightly. 

“Ugh, wait, I can't breathe!” Merlin tried to free himself from the woman's grasp, who seemed so strange and yet familiar at the same time.

“You are angry now,” she said gloomily, her face going from ecstatic to miserable in a second, “No wait! You’re not. You _will_ be angry. Tenses are difficult, aren't they? The butterflies will make you angry.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Merlin yelled, concerned that maybe his magic might have caused her some kind of brain damage.

“I have to go,” she said all of a sudden, moving her nightgown like a dancing child would do and heading towards the corridors of the hospital.

~~

Leon was on his way to check Merlin's activities when he bumped into a strange woman. She looked at him curiously, then hugged him too, whispering in his ear the word _Hiraeth_ (1). At Leon's confused look, she responded, “You will understand,” then she continued to stroll down the corridor.

Merlin ran right after her, trying to stop her frantic motions, but every time he reached her she escaped from his grasp, giggling like a child. Up ahead, the corridor ended, opening onto a little terrace. As soon as the woman saw it, she ran straight towards it. Merlin followed her outside, locking the glass door behind him. Leon was following right behind them.

It was raining, but the strange woman kept pirouetting like keeping moving was her only concern. Then suddenly, a few blue butterflies came out of her palms and began to dance around her. Butterflies that were identical to the ones Merlin had conjured in the crystal cave a very long time ago.

The sorcerer stared at her, eyes wide. Then fury began to boil in his chest and he faced her under the pouring rain.

“What is this game you are playing? Who are you?” Merlin asked, his voice deep and full of enough fire to rival a dragon. Leon watched him from behind the glass door with apprehension, fearing Merlin might indeed turn into a dragon.

“Do you really not know me? Just because you put me in _here_?” the woman asked, her now bright golden eyes focused solely on the sorcerer. She tilted her head, waiting for a response.

“I fear for my other patients' safety,” he answered roughly.

“Not on this balcony, you silly ears! In _here_ ,” she said, gesturing towards her own body.

“What do you mean I've put...oh god!” Merlin exclaimed, suddenly going from angry to terrified, feeling increasingly vulnerable. “I can't feel my magic anymore!”

“That's because I am here, silly,” the woman said fondly, smiling at him.

“You have magic? No, hold on, have you become magic itself?” Merlin asked incredulously, his face pale, soaking wet hair plastered on his forehead.

“Yes,” she smiled at him flirtatiously. 

“ _My_ magic!”

“ _My_ sorcerer! Oh! We have now reached the point in the conversation where you open the lock,” Magic said walking towards the door, holding out a hand for Merlin to take. “Let's go inside to discuss the plan with your handsome friend.”

~~

Once they changed into warm and dry clothes, the three of them went back to the woman's room. She sat on the bed, legs crossed. Leon collapsed in an armchair near the bed, a disbelieving look on his face. Merlin, instead, couldn't sit. He just stood on his feet in the center of the room, his hands hold tight in fists. He watched Magic on the bed as she chewed her thumb. All those years, he had never been without his magic. Being without it now made him feel empty and vulnerable. Merlin wasn't even sure he had managed to save his patient. He needed to get to the bottom of what was happening and soon.

“So, who did this and why?” Merlin asked the young woman.

“Well, the answers to that are 'you' and 'you didn't realize',” Magic answered, biting her thumb. “Wow, I've just discovered that biting might be better than kissing, come here you handsome,” she said to Leon, who watched her with wide eyes because _what the hell was going on?_ He was used to Merlin's magic oddness, but this was something else!

“No, no, stop it! Magic, stop it now!” Merlin ordered. She stilled.

“I like it when you use that voice, it makes me feel...oh, what's that complicated word?” she asked, going back to bite her thumb.

“Try to focus for a second. Do you know what happened a few moments ago?” Merlin edged closer to her, placing a tentative hand on her left arm.

“I only know that this body is not made to last. I have only a few days left.” 

Merlin's hands dropped.

“So I didn't manage to save her,” he affirmed, demoralized.

“I didn't say that,” Magic said, lifting Merlin’s chin with her fingers. “What I meant is that normal human bodies are not made to coexist with such magical powers. She and I can't live together much longer.”

“She's still there then?” Merlin asked, hope lighting up his features.

“Yes, and she's grateful for your devotion. But now we need to work. Is there a place where I can show you something without being interrupted?” Magic asked. It was almost dawn and the sanitation staff were starting to get to work.

“My place isn't far from here. We can go there, it's quiet” Leon said, coming out from his state of confusion. He stood and strode out of the door swiftly. He couldn’t bear to do anything anymore.

“Let’s go,” Merlin said, and he began to follow Leon outside. He felt calmer now, his spirit comforted by the idea that his patient was still alive. He just had to find a way to get back his powers.

Before going through the door, Merlin turned towards Magic. “What should I call you?”

“Centuries, finally, he asks!” Magic said, rolling her eyes. “I think you call me...gorgeous!” she exclaimed triumphantly, rising from the bed.

Merlin had, in fact, called his magic that, once in the crystal cave when she had come back to him, right before the battle of Camlann.

“Only when we are alone!” Merlin said in a low pitched voice.

“We _are_ alone!” she punctuated.

“Come on then, gorgeous” Merlin said with a playful grin, strolling out of the hospital room hand in hand with Magic.

~~

Once they arrived at Leon's apartment, Magic made the two men sit on the couch, while she moved all the stuff on the wall in front of them out of the way with a wave of her hand. In the process, one of Leon's paintings got broken.

“That was one of my fav...oh, never mind,” Leon began to say, but he shushed when Magic turned the whole room into a 3D cinema.

“So, gentlemen, this is what’s happened.” Magic began to explain, while images of Merlin and Avalon began to flow in front of them. “The enchantment you performed, silly ears, made a lot of the Sidhe angry. They believe that you are destined to perform that spell only once more in your life. Furthermore, you put so much effort into it that there was collateral damage. Me.”

“Alright, I am starting to connect the dots here...but who else do they believe I am destined to heal?” Merlin asked.

“Him,” Magic said, pointing at an image she projected on the left side of the wall. It showed a man, his face still with sleep and pale as the moon in contrast with the deep red cape wrapped around his body.

“Arthur,” Merlin and Leon whispered in unison.

Merlin had dreamed a lot about Arthur in the last past weeks. He had always dreamed about his king, but recently all of his dreams got quite strange. In his mental visions, he often watched Arthur coming out of a lake, miraculously dry and alive, but most of the time he couldn't come near him. As soon as he saw his king, an invisible force kept him paralyzed to the spot. Sometimes he had dreamed about feeling powerless too. He usually woke up gasping, his face covered in sweat.

“Has it got something to do with my dreams?” Merlin asked Magic.

“What dreams?” Leon questioned, irritated. “I thought we talked about this sort of stuff!”

“Err, that's kind of personal,” Merlin tried to excuse himself.

“To hell with personal,” Leon said, turning his face away from Merlin. “After all these years you talk to me about personal? I know every fiber of your heart Merlin, and I've always been sure to whom it belonged.”

Merlin's face turned red, but he didn't reply. There had never been jealousy between him and Leon, but they never talked too much about sentimental stuff either. Sometimes they vaguely talked about “poetry” as a euphemism for love, but those conversations were soon forgotten. It seemed foolish to brood on those feelings after all this time.

“It has everything to do with your dreams,” Magic replied, ignoring Leon. She knelt down between Merlin's legs, her hands resting gently on his knees. Then with a whirl of air, the two of them disappeared, leaving Leon alone in his now tidy and back-to-normal flat.

“Great,” Leon exclaimed, rising up to straighten the previously broken painting, now in once piece as he had left it in the morning.

~~

“Where are we?” Merlin asked Magic while trying to figure out the place. The contours of everything were blurred by fog. The temperature here was way cooler than in London.

“In a pocket universe,” Magic answered proudly.

“A what?” Merlin snapped.

“Are you sure you are still the greatest sorcerer alive? You sound a bit dumb today” Magic said exasperated. “A pocket universe. It's a distorted echo of our universe, where sometimes things that were and things that will be can be suspended in a loop. Pocket universes disappear after a very short time. Here an echo of your king is suspended right after he came out of the lake.”

“So Arthur is gonna come back? Is it going to really happen? _Oh god_ ,” Merlin exclaimed while he looked around him, open-eyed.

“Shut up, silly ears! Here he comes! See you in a moment!” she whispered in his ear just before disappearing from view.

“Wait,” Merlin said, but it was too late.

“Merlin? Is that you?” a familiar voice asked from the distance.

“Yes, my Lord,” came Merlin's fast reply. Some habits never stop.

When Arthur appeared from behind the trees, he was wearing the same armor of the day he left this world. He looked a bit disheveled but otherwise fine. Arthur was walking towards him and for a glorious moment, Merlin let himself believe that it was true. That he could finally be the happiest man on earth.

“Thank heavens!” Arthur sighed with relief, once he was standing right in front of Merlin. Then everything was confused: Merlin felt soft lips leaving tender kisses all over his cheeks, strong hands resting on his shoulders, and hot tears streaming down his face. He could not remember the last time he felt so safe and so loved.

“Arthur, you are here,” Merlin said. “How are you even real?” he asked in awe.

“Well, I don't know” Arthur replied, his hands running down Merlin's shoulders to caress his arms.

“How can you not know?”

But in a blink of an eye, Merlin was alone again, kneeling on his own apartment floor.

While he sobbed all his sorrow, Magic sat down beside him, caressing his arms as Arthur had done a few moments before.

“I am so sorry,” she whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) A Welsh word with no direct English translation that means something like: "A homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past." Related to the Portuguese concept of saudade. -from BuzzFeed


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 14: a kiss so desperate that the two wind around each other, refusing to let go until they are finished

Merlin was sitting on his sofa, a deep red cushion held tight in his arms. Magic went to him with two cups of hot steamy Earl Gray.

“Does honey sing?” she asked out of the blue, while Merlin took his cup out of her hands.

“You keep making no sense at all,” Merlin said, shaking his head.

“Apparently, this woman loves Singin' Hinnies (2) with tea,” Magic told him while sitting on the sofa with him, gazing into the distance.

“I don't think an overdose of sugar is exactly what I need now,” Merlin said and let go of the cushion to curl up on the couch.

“Oh come on, don't be so grumpy. Now you know for sure your king is going to be fine, right?” She said happily, legs tucked beneath herself.

He didn't answer her. Merlin wasn't sure about anything right now. He feared he was closer than ever to losing everything: his love, his friend, his magic. 

Magic readjusted herself on the sofa to sit curled beside Merlin, her hand coming to caress the nape of his neck.

“Look up,” Magic whispered tenderly in his ear. With a nod and a whirl of her other hand, Magic made images appear on the ceiling as she had done at Leon's apartment.

Images of Merlin and Arthur desperately trying to reach for each other swirled in front of them: 

Merlin on the shore of the lake, frozen, his hand up in the air. 

Arthur running frantically along dark corridors. 

A woman running behind Arthur. Her face contorted as if she were in pain. She looked very familiar to Merlin.

“Hold on, that woman is Freya, isn't she? Oh my God is she alright?” Merlin asked Magic.

“Yes, silly ears, she is. She's just mildly injured,” Magic became serious all of a sudden. “The Lady of the lake means a lot for us both, you know? Without her, you wouldn't be the sorcerer you are today. She's with Arthur right now.” 

“Please explain what is going on, I beg of you,” Merlin pleaded with her, holding her hands between his.

Magic nodded. “A few days ago, Arthur woke up from his deep sleep.” 

Merlin gasped loudly.

“During all these years, the Sidhe allowed Freya to take care of his mortal wound. However, her magic isn't powerful enough to completely heal him,” Magic continued. “The problem is that the Sidhe are selfish. They want to use Arthur's destiny for their purposes. Fortunately, the Lady of the lake is smart enough. As soon as she understood their intentions, she managed to escape with Arthur. She and your king are running through a complicated labyrinth as we speak.”

“A labyrinth?” Merlin asked.

“Yes. Since the Sidhe can't harm the druid girl without hurting Arthur, they trapped them in a labyrinth of magic. They can't escape unless they accept the Sidhe's will.”

“Okay, and what would they want me to do?” Merlin asked, feeling a bit lost.

“They want you to save your king so they can control both of your futures. Well, they wanted you to. According to their plans, you should still have magic at this point. But you never do what everybody else expects you to do,” Magic grinned. “That's why I adore you! You've always been a mad idiot.”

“Oi! You know, since we’re talking with mouths, I want to say you have never been very reliable either,” Merlin shot back.

“And you have?” Magic mocked.

“You didn’t always help me do what I had to.”

“No, but I always helped you do what you _needed_ to”

Merlin didn’t have a response to that.

~~

That night, Merlin and Magic didn't sleep. They simply laid on the bed, facing each other.

“I should be there, protecting both of them,” Merlin whispered fiercely, breaking the silence.

“Do you ever wonder why I chose you when you were born?” Magic whispered back.

“It never occurred to me that magic chooses who can master it.”

“Of course I chose you,” Magic replied with a grin. “I wanted to share my journey with a Dragon Lord and you were the only one mad enough. Well, you weren't mad when you were a little boy, but I knew meeting Arthur would have made you the mad toad I needed.”

Merlin smiled affectionately at the endearment Magic used. He remembered calling Arthur a “toad” for the first time. The crown prince’s face had twisted into an almost comical expression of betrayal. Later on, Arthur had used the same epithet to call him out. In that moment it felt like the king was just mocking him. But since Merlin had had an eternity to think about every single detail of his life over and over again, he had come to understand that those were tender words and soft moments.

“Hold on!” Merlin jumped off of the bed. “Hold on a bloody minute! How can you possibly know where Arthur is right now? I have never been able to use my powers to find him, even though I desperately wanted it.”

“Oh, did I forget to tell you?” Magic asked, sitting up to kneel on the mattress. “I am mentally linked with the Lady of the lake. I have always been since you spoke with her through Avalon's water. It's just fragments and it's not always easy to decipher her messages. Remember your strange dreams and terrible headaches on Sunday mornings? It was her!”

“What? How?” Merlin asked as Magic suddenly got out of the bed to land on her feet. She crossed the room and began to rummage through Merlin's wardrobe.

“Ah, there it is!” She exclaimed triumphantly as she placed on her shoulders the old maroon leather jacket that Merlin used to wear every day. “We need to go to where you said goodbye to Arthur. Quickly,” she said, grabbing a shocked Merlin's hand and dragging him through the flat to get his keys.

“Why?” Merlin asked dumbly. 

“’Cause we will be there in three minutes. We need to go now!” Magic said, pushing him outside.

“Wait! I don't know what to do. I’ve got nothing.” Merlin affirmed, dishearten.

“Oh, my beautiful idiot. You have what you’ve always had. You’ve got me.”

And with a snap of her fingers, they were gone.

~~

Arriving on the shores of Avalon's lake, Merlin felt like a dagger had been stabbed through his chest. He hadn't been here in a very long time. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on his sorrow, for Magic was suddenly lying in the grass, senseless beside him.

“What's happening? Magic, are you alright?” he asked in concern, kneeling to shake her prone figure. 

“Yes, I am perfectly fine!” She opened her eyes abruptly. “This body is failing me, though. My memories are doing a funny thing inside my head.” 

“We need to contact Arthur and Freya somehow,” Merlin told her, worried. He looked around at their surroundings. The trees were stable despite the strong, cold wind blowing. The sky was dark with gray clouds, threatening rain.

Magic was now sitting on the grass, holding her head between her hands, “Which one’s Arthur? The handsome one?” She asked, her voice faint.

Merlin's cheeks turned bright red. “Oh for heaven's sake, yes!”

A blurred image appeared simultaneously in Magic and Merlin's mind.

“Hello, Handsome!” Magic said.

Leon looked around his living room, a surge panic and confusion twisting his features. “What the hell is that?” he exclaimed.

“That’s Leon,” Merlin facepalmed beside his humanized magic.

She continued talking to Leon. “This is a visible telepathic message. Magical video call, if you like. Listen carefully Sir Leon, you need to help your king coming out of a very dangerous situation. Enter into the portal that is opening at your left. You have to go to the center of the labyrinth. I’m putting the route in your head. When you get there, think about Camelot. Let it hurt. Think about your Hiraeth.” She explained solemnly.

Leon had always been a brave and loyal knight. Many things had changed during the years, but that aspect of him remained unaltered. He had always trusted Merlin with his life, so with a final nod towards the sorcerer Leon took a deep breath and he walked through the portal.

“Why are we even here if I can't be useful?” Merlin asked in an exasperated tone.

“Because of that,” Magic said pointing in front of her. A portal identical to the one where Leon had entered just a moment before, opened up.

Leon, Arthur, and Freya were walking bruised but safe towards Merlin.

~~

Merlin gazed at Arthur in disbelief. The king looked like not a single day had passed after Camlann's battle. That sight was an astonishing beautiful gift Merlin had never thought he could ever receive. Merlin's eyes were swollen with tears, his head was spinning.

Suddenly, Merlin's whole body felt paralyzed. Exactly like it happened in his dreams. Merlin felt a surge of panic.

“What is happening?” Leon asked once the trio reached the shore where Magic and Merlin were standing. Leon saw that Magic holding out her hand to nothing. “Where is Merlin?” He asked.

 _“They can't see me?”_ Merlin asked, his panic almost overwhelming him.

Magic took the sorcerer's hand and spoke telepathically with him: _“Not at the moment, I am working on it,”_ Magic was grimacing with fatigue. _“The Sidhe have enchanted you. I am trying to counteract their spell but it's not easy and I am weak. Keep looking at your king. We can do it. Together.”_

 _“I always look at him. Even when he is not here.”_ Merlin said inside her head. _“And I have always trusted you.”_

Then Magic spoke to Leon: “He is right next to me, my beautiful lord. He has been enchanted. We are fighting it together.”

“Merlin is here?” Arthur burst out, looking around him like he used to do when he knew danger was near. He drew the sword. “We need to help him as much as we could. Leon, if anything comes near, we are going to stop it. Freya, stand right behind me.”

Always brave, always fearless even when facing the unknown. Merlin's heart burst with pride and adoration.

Walking in circles around Magic and Merlin, Leon and Arthur were ready to face whatever would have tried to stop the sorcerer's magic. For a while nothing happened, then all of a sudden there were bright golden flames everywhere, the air seemed denser and more worm. Magic fainted as Merlin was once again visible beside her. Merlin's intense gaze was entirely focused on the lake. His whole body radiated a wave of calm anger, far more dangerous than pure rage. He was resolute, controlled, confident, powerful. His eyes were once again bright with golden sparkles. Merlin walked inside the water and when it brushed his knees, Merlin began to talk.

“Listen carefully, people of the Sidhe. I understand how seductive the idea of unlimited power can be. The idea that you can control everything. But I also know that these temptations can be overcome. I will forgive you this time because I hope this helped you understand a lesson.” Merlin spoke with such fury even the trees would have bent the knee if they could. “However if you'll ever dare to come near the people of this world ever again, any of them, I. Will. Destroy. You.” 

With a loud rumble, the sky turned blue once again, and the Sidhe retreated behind Avalon's gates.

~~

“Who is this?” Arthur was asking pointing at Magic, while Merlin and Leon tried to help her regain consciousness.

“She's a woman. And she is my magic.” Merlin replied, still avoiding looking in his king's eyes.

“Did you wish really hard?” Arthur asked, his eyebrows arched quizzically.

“Shut up, not like that,” Merlin replied, his face flushed pink. How those jokes could feel so natural after all these years, Merlin wondered.

Not a minute passed and Magic opened her eyes, looking dazed. “Hello everyone, I am gorgeous,” she burst out.

“Oh, still shut up,” Merlin said to Arthur, rolling his eyes. Then he turned his attention back to the young woman. “Do you remember what happened, my dear?”

She raised a hand to caress one of his cheekbones. “My sorcerer. A little bit of me is still here. But everything's so very dark.”

“I’m here. Hey,” Merlin whispered, leaning into her palm.

“I’ve been looking for a word before. A big, complicated word, but so sad. I found it now.” Her voice a feeble whisper.

“What word?” Merlin asked, tearing up a bit.

“Alive. I’m alive,” she murmured.

“Alive isn’t sad,” Merlin told her with a tremulous smile.

“It’s sad when it’s over. I’ll always be here, but this is when we talked. And now even that has come to an end,” she told her sorcerer. “There’s something I didn’t get to say to you.”

“Please don't say goodbye,” Merlin pleaded.

“No. I just wanted to say, Hello. Hello, Merlin. It’s so very, very nice to meet you,” her voice teary. Then she turned towards Arthur. “He loves you. Never forget that.” 

Arthur nodded, then the last swirl of golden dust went from the woman towards Merlin. A very confused woman woke up startled in Merlin's arms.

“Doctor Emrys! What are we doing here? What has happened?” she asked, dizzy.

“This story has finally reached a happy ending for everyone,” Leon answered for him. Merlin smiled at him while he took the woman's hand and promised he would tell her everything once they were in front of a nice cup of tea. 

Leon and the blond woman walked together towards the little village at the end of the road.

Merlin turned to Freya. “My lady. I...I really don't know what to say. Thank you.” He was grateful for her help. Merlin couldn't express the bundle of emotions tossing and turning in his chest. He simply hugged her tightly.

“I know how precious your King is to you. You know I'll always do anything for you. Be happy, Merlin. You deserve it,” she said. Then she walked towards the lake, with a last bow to the Once and Future King.

“Thank you,” Arthur said as well, his voice rough with emotion.

Arthur and Merlin were finally alone.

~~

“So,” Merlin began to say, still avoiding Arthur's gaze, his hands behind his back. He was rocking on his feet.

“Why you are not looking at my face?” Arthur asked, his tone concerned. “Have I done something wrong?”

“No, what...how can you say that? Something _wrong_? You've just come back to me, that's the least wrong thing you could possibly do!” Merlin lifted his face to meet Arthur's eyes.

“Merlin,” Arthur said in a brittle voice. The king placed a hand on his side. Damn! Merlin had to complete Freya's work. “Heal me now, because I can't wait anymore,” Arthur begged.

Imagining Arthur was feeling great pain, Merlin drew swiftly near him and lifted a hand in the air, conjuring the same magic he had used to save his patient. He gladly welcomed back the familiar tingle in his veins. This time, he wasn't uncertain of the outcome of his spell.

In fact, after a few seconds Arthur stood up gracefully in front of him, his posture and expression no longer tense. Arthur's face brightened up in a big smile.

Merlin couldn't help but answer to that smile with a similar one. His heart was so full of blissful joy he felt like he was about to burst. That happiness shined through their eyes as well, and they gazed lovingly at each other for so long Merlin felt he was going to actually melt. 

“Sorry, you talked about something that could not wait, what was that?” Merlin asked, his face now only inches apart from Arthur's.

“I needed my strength back because I am about to give you everything I have. Everything I am is yours,” Arthur told him quietly, before crushing his mouth upon Merlin's soft lips.

Arthur's lips were warm and wet against his, and Merlin felt immediately lost into the sensation. All his world was focused on the sweet motion of Arthur's lips against his own. When Arthur parted them a little to capture Merlin's bottom lip, a low guttural sound came from Merlin's chest.

“Arthur,” Merlin pleaded, while his king moved his hands delicately to the sorcerer's back, in a motion that was meant to calm and soothe the other man.

“Nothing all those years apart could prepare me for this feeling, to finally have you in my arms,” Arthur whispered, his hands trailing upwards to caress Merlin's neck, leaving goosebumps on the sorcerer's skin.

“I thought I would never have this. I thought I had lost you forever.” Merlin confessed with a sob.

“You could never lose me, Merlin. We always find each other, don't we?” Arthur said with a huge smile, resting his forehead against Merlin's.

“Yes,” Merlin's heart was bursting with joy and they were kissing again. They held each other desperately, pulling apart only when the oxygen demand became too much. Their head felt light.

“We have so much to talk about,” Merlin said, his arms never leaving Arthur's body.

“We have always been men of action, haven’t we, Merlin?” Arthur asked with a grin while nuzzling Merlin's neck.

“I-yes, but right now I need...I mean we should,” Merlin tried to say something more coherent, but then Arthur began to leave feather kisses on his clavicles and Merlin lost his coherency.

“Let's go home,” Merlin simply said.

With a huge effort, he parted from Arthur and took his hand, walking with him towards the village at the end of the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2) It's an English dessert. Hinney is how "honey" is pronounced in Northeast England. The singing part of the name describes how the cakes are cooked in a hot flat griddle pan


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 15: a fierce kiss that ends with a bite on the lip, soothing it with a lick

Merlin and Arthur walked into the same cafe where Leon and Merlin's former patient were waiting, drinking tea. Actually, Leon was drinking, while the young woman sat stiffly, her mouth slightly open.

“Is everything alright?” Merlin asked. The young woman jumped, startled out of her thoughts.

“Hello. Well, everything is still a bit blurred, Doctor Emrys. But I think I will be alright, in time. And I have the strange feeling that Mr. Leon is going to help me a lot with that,” she said with a shy smile.

“Oh, so that's why you kept calling him beautiful. You know, _before_ ,” Merlin grinned. The woman's blush got deeper.

“Shut up, Merlin, be a gentleman for once. Besides, didn't you find it strange that your magic possessed a woman whose features are so similar to mine?” Arthur asked mockingly. It was Merlin's turn to blush.

The foursome managed to return to London before evening fell. Merlin and Arthur parted from Leon and the young woman with a promise to see each other soon.

Once the king and his former servant arrived at Merlin's little cottage, the warlock wanted to tell Arthur everything that had happened during his long life. However, Arthur was still sore and covered in dirt, and in desperate need of a shower. Merlin explained briefly how to use the shower and went to the kitchen to cook a mushroom risotto. Cooking had always helped him relax. At least, he could try.

~~

When Arthur appeared in his kitchen barefoot and shirtless, an old pair of Merlin's trousers lose on his hips, his hair still wet from the shower, Merlin felt he couldn't hold back his feelings anymore.

The sorcerer sank to his knees in front of his king, a gesture he had never done in Camelot. Arthur moved closer to him, confusion wrinkling his brow. Once he was within reach, Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur’s waist, hugging him tightly, his face placed on Arthur's thigh.

“I have missed you so fucking much,” Merlin sobbed.

“And I you,” Arthur replied, placing a hand on Merlin's head. His black hair was as soft as he remembered.

“I want to show you something,” Merlin told him while getting up, sniffling.

Dinner long forgotten, Merlin took Arthur's hand and lead him to his bedroom.

“Nobody could say you are subtle,” Arthur said, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Merlin laughed nervously.

“Look inside,” Merlin simply said, opening the door for him.

Arthur gaped. “Is it…my bed? From Camelot?”

In the middle of the room stood a huge canopy bed. The four wooden columns were pristine, with no signs of damage or age. The headboard was completely intact. Pendragon red curtains and sheets adorned the frame, just as they had in Camelot.

“Yes. I have a deal with a group of textile workers in London. They remake the same curtains for me every year,” Merlin scoffed. “I kept it because I am a romantic fool.”

Merlin’s breath tickled Arthur's right ear. Merlin could see the tiny hairs on the back of Arthur's neck stand up.

“Did you,” Arthur gulped, “did you have other reasons?”

“Well,” Merlin purred, “I've always wanted to have you for the first time on this bed.” Merlin gently tugged on Arthur's lobe with his teeth.

Arthur bit back a moan. “Are you sure?”

Merlin ghosted over Arthur's neck with his lips. “Do I feel unsure to you?” He said, grinding his pelvis into Arthur’s waist, letting him feel how hard Merlin was for him.

With their lips just barely touching, Merlin paused to murmur “I've never wanted someone as I want you right now.”

Arthur growled and took Merlin in his arms, lifting him to allow Merlin to wrap his legs around Arthur’s waist. They kissed languidly while Arthur walked them towards the bed. Arthur tried to remove Merlin's shirt without releasing him, causing them both to lose balance and fall to the mattress with a loud “Umpf!”

“You silly prat!” Merlin exclaimed underneath him, laughing. Arthur laughed too, happy tears glistening in his eyes.

“Come here you,” Arthur breathed, regaining his composure. He placed a thumb on Merlin's soft lips and Merlin parted them. Merlin's breath hitched at the sight of the man above him: Arthur was simply gorgeous like that.

Arthur pressed his forehead against Merlin's and licked his own lips, before he proceeded to crush Merlin's mouth. He scraped Merlin's upper lip with his teeth, then he licked them, asking for entrance. 

When they parted, their lips were reddened and they were out of breath. Merlin sucked Arthur's bottom lip in his mouth one last time before switching their positions. Once he was free from Arthur's grasp, Merlin removed his shirt and slowly went down on Arthur's body, until his face was right in front of Arthur's clothed bulge. 

“I want...can I?” Merlin asked incoherently, his eyes never leaving Arthur's ones.

“I am completely yours.” Arthur declared.

Merlin smirked dangerously; his mouth hovering over Arthur's crotch.

“Mmh, your speech is still too fluent. I need do to something about it,” Merlin teased, then he put his mouth on Arthur's prick, that was free from the inside of his trousers, for they had magically disappeared.

“Oh, good heavens above, have mercy!” Arthur cried out as Merlin's lips engulfed his glans in velvety warm mouth. Merlin was intoxicated with pleasure. He wanted everything, all at once. Quickly, he used both his hand and lips together to bring Arthur to the edge.

Arthur felt like he was going to combust. “Wait! Merlin, please, _stop_ ” he exclaimed.

“What is it?” Merlin asked, “Did I do something wrong?” Merlin was so lost in his own needs he was afraid he had ruined the moment.

“No, of course you haven't,” Arthur replied, his eyes dark with lust. “I just want the two of us to do it together.”

The jolt of arousal from Arthur's words made Merlin’s vision blur for a moment, but as soon as he completely understood the meaning of them, he swiftly removed his own trousers and underwear.

Once they were again skin on skin, they began to frantically undulate their hips, brushing their cocks together. The combined effect of precome and Merlin's saliva on Arthur's crotch created the perfect friction.

“Ah, Merlin you feel so good,” Arthur howled.

“Please, I am so close, please come with me, my lord, _my love_ ,” Merlin pleaded.

Time slowed down and suddenly the both of them were drowning in pleasure, crying out the other’s name like that was the only way they could save themselves from falling into pieces.

~~

They spent hours in each other arms, interrupting the other only to steal a kiss, to caress, to say sorry without words. They talked about sorrow, lost friends, and finally, about love. When Arthur confessed he was going to declare his feelings after he had been mortally injured, Merlin held his breath.

“I am sorry I didn't tell you anything at the time,” Arthur explained, looking at his fingers intertwined with Merlin's. “During those moments, it felt selfish and wrong. I didn't want you to feel more shattered than you already looked. Besides, I thought that you deserved pure happiness, not a life of pain and regrets. But I wanted you to always be you because if someone else would have been beside you, they could have you only if they accepted you as you are.”

Merlin's eyes were once again swollen with tears, only this time they were happy ones. “How can I accept someone else when you are, and always have been, the only thing that makes me feel complete,” Merlin declared, looking besotted.

“Not even all those centuries could prepare me to the privilege to be yours. I love you,” Arthur said, and they were kissing again.

With their hearts back where they belonged, they were finally ready to face eternity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you arrived here, I honor thee. I am quite fond of this fic and I love the idea of Merlin's magic humanized. Let me know if you liked this little journey too!

**Author's Note:**

> I have always been very fond of the idea of Merlin's Magic personified. Let me know if you liked it too! As usual, a huge thank you to mother-of-lions, the most patient, comprehensive, supportive beta of the five Kingdomes


End file.
